


something blue

by dragonbagel



Series: stop your soul from catching fire [3]
Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Atlas CEO Rhys, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Homophobia, Hurt/Comfort, Lilith is a fucking bitch, Minor Violence, Misgendering, Siren Rhys, Slurs, Trans Character, Trans Rhys, Transphobia, Weddings, and he can't stop bickering with fiona, rhys is a dorky fanboy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-08
Updated: 2017-08-08
Packaged: 2018-12-12 20:37:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11744724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonbagel/pseuds/dragonbagel
Summary: Rhys and Sasha are invited to attend the wedding of their good friends Athena and Janey. Everything is great-- until Rhys runs into someone he's been avoiding for a long, long time.





	something blue

**Author's Note:**

> i've had this idea for a while and i'm excited to have finally written it. i'd die for this AU tbh
> 
> zer0 uses they/them pronouns fyi

Weddings were supposed to be fancy, lavish, and ornate in every sense of the word. Everyone, even a native Pandoran like Sasha, knew that. She’d just never realized exactly how extravagant these celebrations could be.

Athena wasn’t one to be pegged as gaudy, but Sasha supposed the same couldn’t be said for the woman who was soon to be her wife. Janey Springs, decked out in a frilly pink-and-white ball gown yet still with engine grease staining her cheeks, had orchestrated what she guaranteed to be the best wedding on this side of Pandora. At least, that was what the sparkly invitation had said before taking off like a rocket in Sasha’s hands (and nearly taking a few of her fingers with it).

Rhys hadn’t originally been on board with attending, but Sasha insisted that since his name was also printed on the invitation that he had to go as well. Besides, didn’t Rhys deserve a break from work? Her boyfriend hadn’t taken too kindly to that suggestion, and Sasha ceded that Rhys could do whatever super-official Atlas crap was more important than his friends after the ceremony if only he’d spare her from having to take Loader Bot as a date.

The grand event was in Sanctuary, which was accessible via the now repaired Fast Travel at Atlas. It was laughably easy for Sasha and Rhys to reach the floating city, considering Sasha hadn’t returned to her typical caravan station in months. Quite frankly, she was still too frazzled from the whole kidnapping fiasco to recreate such a distance between her and Rhys. Plus, Fiona wasn’t there much anymore, and the place was weighed with an achy emptiness without her. At least she’d be able to see her sister at the wedding; Fiona had wormed her way into one of the bridesmaid spots, and Sasha hadn’t been able to stop herself from laughing at the sight of her tomboyish sister in a floor length, hot pink gown.

Sasha herself was wearing an equally elegant gold dress, the shiny hue matching Rhys’ tie and cybernetic arm. It also matched the teardrop-shaped earrings Rhys had gotten her for the one-year anniversary of their relationship, and she showed them off with pride. Her gift, a mod for his stun baton, had been received equally well.

“Quit fidgeting, would ya?”

Rhys looked over to Sasha from where he’d been fussing with his hair in the reflection of his cybernetic hand.

“What? Oh, uh, sorry,” he said sheepishly, returning his hands to his sides.

Sasha snorted. “You expecting a hot date or something?”

“I’m already on one with the sexiest girl in this whole place,” Rhys said with a grin, trying to be smooth but coming off as a dork, as was his typical fashion.

Sasha blushed as she elbowed him, the motion causing the folding chair she was sitting on to creak.

“But, um,” Rhys said, looking away from Sasha as he spoke. “I also heard that Zer0’s supposed to be here.”

His voice had turned into nothing louder than an embarrassed whisper, and he coughed softly.

“Oh my god, you’re such a nerd,” Sasha laughed, utterly amused at the way Rhys was trying to covertly crane his neck in an attempt to catch sight of the Vault Hunter.

“They’re really cool, okay?” Rhys said, trying to defend himself despite knowing nothing could rescue him from the ditch of shame he’d dug himself into. “You saw them frickin’ skewer Bossanova! And when they turn invisible…”

He trailed off with a dreamy expression, probably mentally reliving the entire apparently life-changing experience.

“Whatever you say, fanboy,” Sasha said, rolling her eyes (although she did have to secretly admit, Zer0 was super awesome). “At least try to focus on the wedding for a bit, would you?”

“Of course!” he said, straightening and training his gaze on the makeshift altar like he hadn’t just been fantasizing about a probably alien assassin.

The ceremony was being held inside what used to be Scooter’s garage, the cars and tool benches moved outside in favor of an eccentric collection of suspiciously red-stained chairs and a glittery balloon arch. The building wasn’t exactly spacious, but considering that the majority of both brides’ relatives had been killed in one way or another (it was Pandora, after all), the guests fit comfortably inside. Sasha spotted Fiona stationed next to Ellie underneath the arch at the front of the room, and she bitterly recognized August sitting in one of the first rows. She also saw what looked like a black, reflective, Zer0-esque helmet, and opted to keep that tidbit of info to herself until after the ceremony. Rhys would have plenty of time to fawn over his idol during the reception.

“ALL RISE, PLEASE!”

Sasha looked up at the booming voice, which was oddly familiar. Upon a closer look, she realized that she recognized the loudspoken man in the purple suit near Fiona.

“Is that Torgue?” she whispered, leaning closer to Rhys.

“Maybe,” Rhys said tightly.

Oh, right. Business competition, and all that jazz.

He wasn’t left glowering for long, however, because the door to the building’s upper entrance opened with a gusto. A Claptrap unit, on which had been painted a mini tuxedo, hummed _Here Comes the Bride_ as it rolled forwards, waving its arms in a bizarre dance. Athena and Janey trailed behind it, the gladiator’s plain black dress completely at odds with Janey’s gown. Her ornamentation went as far as a flower tucked into her purple hair, and Sasha wouldn’t have expected any differently. She was pretty sure she even saw Aspis clipped to the arm that wasn’t being used to hold Janey’s hand.

The procession paused as they reached the top of the stairs, the Claptrap creaking nervously as it rocked back and forth on its single wheel.

“Stairs? Nobody told me there would be stairs!”

Sasha cringed at the annoying, tinny voice, and she saw Rhys trying to hold back a laugh. He certainly wasn’t the only one.

“Why couldn’t it be a door? I’m great at opening doors!” Claptrap whined. “Curse you, O stairs!”

Athena looked like she wanted to drop-kick the robot down the stairs if only to shut it up, but a nudge from Janey had her begrudgingly picking up the Claptrap and carrying it down to deposit on the lower level.

“Ha!” Claptrap said as it wheeled excitedly. “Bested again, you fiend! Nothing defeats the mighty Claptrap!”

Athena aimed a kick at the robot’s side, and it quickly derailed from its tirade and returned to its music-making. A peck on the cheek from Janey wiped the scowl off Athena’s face, and they proceeded to the altar. A pointed look at Claptrap had it scurrying off to the side to stand near the bridesmaids, apparently designating itself as one.

“YOU MAY ALL SIT,” Torgue said loudly, and there was a mass creaking sound as the crowd sat back down. “WE’RE HERE TODAY FOR THE TOTALLY AWESOME MARRIAGE OF MISS JANEY SPRINGS AND ATHENA...uh...what’s your last name?”

Athena smirked. “Wouldn’t you like to know.”

Torgue frowned for a moment, but then shrugged. “WELL, WE’RE HERE ANYWAYS. SO LET’S GET THESE TWO LADIES MARRIED.”

There were a few cheers from the audience, and even a whistle.

“JANEY, MY WONDERFUL FIRST CRUSH WHO I’M NOW TOTALLY OKAY WITH REJECTING ME: DO YOU TAKE ATHENA TO BE YOUR SORT OF LAWFULLY WEDDED WIFE FOR THE REST OF FOREVER?”

Janey smiled, blushing as she looked at Athena. “I do.”

“AND ATHENA, YOU TOTALLY BADASS WOMAN WHO KICKED MY ASS MORE TIMES THAN I CAN COUNT: DO YOU TAKE JANEY TO BE--”

“I do,” Athena interrupted, shrugging as Torgue glared at her. “What? You were just going to say the exact same thing again.”

“UM, NO, I WAS GOING TO TALK ABOUT HOW YOU HAVE TO PROTECT THIS GIRL WITH YOUR LIFE AND GIVE UP ALL THE VAULTS IN THE UNIVERSE FOR HER AND--”

“Oi, we get it.” Now it was Janey’s turn to cut him off, although she did so much more kindly. “When do I get to kiss my wife?”

Torgue grinned, clapping his hands together. “I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU WIFE AND WIFE. NOW GO AHEAD AND KISS!”

They needed no further prompting, both women rushing to meet each other’s lips as the guests clapped excitedly. The noise was cut off by the sound of a gunshot and then a robotic scream, even Janey and Athena breaking apart to look at Torgue. The man had whipped out a shotgun and fired it into the air, the bullet ricocheting and hitting Claptrap.

“WOOOOOO! THIS CALLS FOR SOME EXPLOSIONS!”

“Seriously?” Athena said, but Janey just grinned and kissed her again.

“EVERYONE OUT, LET’S GO GET SOME DRINKS!”

The audience needed no further prompting, Sasha taking Rhys’ hand as they stood. She snorted at the annoyed sounds of pain Claptrap was making in the corner, yelling something about its beautiful new paint job being ruined.

“Come on,” Sasha said, tugging Rhys forward before he remembered his quest to find Zer0. She needed a good table, specifically one far away from August (she was still on very rocky terms with her more or less ex).

Sanctuary’s main, central courtyard had been converted into the reception area, and the arrangement of tables was purposefully distant from Moxxi’s bar where the actual alcohol was being served. Former Vault Hunters and mechanics weren’t exactly loaded with cash, and even Moxxi could only give so much of a discount. A strangely tolerable dubstep-type song was playing from speakers intermittently set up around the area, and Sasha had to admit the whole vibe was quite pleasant.

“Here,” she said, stopping at the table nearest the bar.

She pulled out a chair for Rhys, gesturing for him to sit, before sliding into the seat beside him.

“Smart,” he remarked, nodding towards Moxxi’s.

Sasha blew a kiss. “There’s nothing better than free alcohol.”

“I like how you think, sista!” Fiona grinned as she sat down on the other side of Sasha, unloading the three drinks she’d been holding and pulling Sasha into a one-armed hug.

“Fi!” Sasha said excitedly, having not noticed her sister approach. Rhys gave a small wave, to which Fiona predictably rolled her eyes.

“A gift to celebrate our reunion,” Fiona said, holding up a glass of champagne for a toast after passing one flute to Sasha and the other to Rhys.

“I’ll drink to that,” Sasha said with a grin as she clinked her glass.

Rhys also muttered “cheers,” although he was looking suspiciously at his drink. Finally, he spoke. “You didn’t… do anything to this, did you?”

Fiona nearly choked on her drink as she snorted. “What, you mean like spit in it?”

“Uh, yeah, actually,” Rhys said, dead serious.

“Pfft,” Fiona said, waving her hand as she downed the rest of her drink. “You’re not worth my saliva.”

“Ew,” Sasha said, wrinkling her nose. “You’re both disgusting.”

Fiona jabbed a finger in Rhys’ direction. “He started it!”

Rhys scoffed. “Did not!”

“Quit it, you dorks,” Sasha said with a chuckle. As annoying as their bickering could be, the familiar banter was unexpectedly relaxing.

Fiona huffed, and Rhys, after a bit more contemplation, took a sip of his drink.

“I guess it tastes fine,” he admitted with a slight scowl.

“Ha!” Fiona said, grinning smugly. “Now you owe me another drink. Go on, use those long legs of yours.”

“I don’t owe you anything,” Rhys countered lamely.

“Sure, sure,” Fiona said, something mischievous in her eyes. “Then I guess you can stay here and tell me all about this thing you’ve got going on with my sister.”

“Um,” Rhys spluttered, his entire face turning red.

“Come on,” Fiona said, leaning over Sasha to get a more direct view of Rhys. “What’ve you two lovebirds been up to these past few months? And don’t leave out the juicy bits.”

Rhys choked on his drink, wiping the bit that had dripped out the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand. “Maybe, I’ll, uh, actually go get those drinks now.”

He stumbled to his feet, gaze trained anywhere except at Fiona. Sasha could hear her sister cackling beside her, shouting at Rhys to get her something strong enough to be able to put up with him for the rest of the day as he scurried away.

Sasha elbowed her sister playfully. “You’re so mean to him.”

Fiona shrugged, tracing her finger around the rim of her now-empty glass. “He deserved it.”

Despite her words, there was no real malice in her voice. She’d probably deny it to her grave, but Sasha was sure that Fiona had warmed up to Rhys over the years of their friendship, however much animosity she’d originally harbored towards him.

“Anyways,” Fiona said, turning to face her sister. “While I definitely wanted to watch Rhys squirm, I do actually want to know what’s new with you guys.”

Sasha shrugged, suddenly acutely aware that she couldn’t recount their totally badass rescue mission without revealing Rhys’ secret in the process. “I’ve been spending a lot of time with him at Atlas. He’s really fixed up the place.”

Fiona nodded, and Sasha wished she didn’t recognize the look on her sister’s face that meant she was going to pry.

“So you’re serious then?” Fiona asked. “Like, living together serious?”

“We’re not technically living together,” Sasha said, realizing halfway through her sentence that they most definitely were.

“Sure,” Fiona said sarcastically. “You’re just sharing a room. And a bed. Oh god, wait, that means you’re totally sleeping with each other. Urgh, I did _not_ need that mental picture.”

Sasha flushed, trying to bury her embarrassment in her drink. She wondered what was taking Rhys so long, because she really needed way more alcohol before she’d be remotely comfortable having this conversation.

“How’s the Vault Hunting been going?” Sasha asked, eager to change the subject even with how abrupt the shift in topic sounded. Luckily, Fiona didn’t seem fazed, her eyes lighting up at the chance to talk about her adventures.

“It’s been awesome,” she said. “We’ve been tracking down this Key for months, and it’s supposedly somewhere in Oasis.”

“The pirate town?” Sasha raised her brows.

“Yeah,” Fiona replied, chuckling. “I got to drive a hovercraft. Plus, we’re working with this cool punk pirate captain chick, and I’m pretty sure she’s into me.”

“Did you get her number?” Sasha asked, smiling at the way Fiona was starting to blush.

“Not yet,” she said. “But she’s got all these piercings, and she’s totally badass. She’s even got her own pirate ship. Seriously, checking all my boxes right here.”

“You’ll have to introduce me someday,” Sasha said, her sisterly instincts telling her to assess this potential love interest before letting her get too close to Fiona.

“Oh, shit,” Fiona muttered suddenly, looking at something over Sasha’s shoulder.

“What?” Sasha said, following Fiona’s gaze until her eyes landed on August. “Fuck.”

“Alright, I’ll run interference, you go tell Rhys’ ass to hurry up with those drinks. I’m not drunk enough to deal with this douche.”

Sasha nodded, thankful for her sister’s heroic sacrifice. She slid out of her seat, trying to make as little noise as possible as she escaped the disaster waiting to happen. She saw Fiona wave at August out of the corner of her eye, distracting him long enough for Sasha to slip away to Moxxi’s without being detected. The bar was oddly busy, nearly every stool occupied by patrons. She didn’t recognize any of them, and supposed even a wedding wasn’t going to stop the people of Sanctuary from binge-drinking and ogling Moxxi’s tits.

Rhys wasn’t in the main room, and Sasha wondered if he’d left to go search for Zer0 without her noticing.

“Hey, Moxxi?” she said, uncomfortably avoiding looking at the woman’s ridiculous amount of exposed cleavage that was literally at eye level.

“What can I get for you, sugar?” Moxxi asked, her voice as sultry as ever.

“I’m actually looking for Rhys,” she said, hating how loud she had to speak in order to be heard over the music, inebriated chatter, and clinking of the slot machines in the corner. “Have you seen him?”

Moxxi nodded. “Sure. Came in here looking for drinks a while ago, but then Lilith pulled him outside for a chat. They’re out back.”

She pointed towards an exit door before turning back to the drink she was mixing.

“Lilith?” Sasha repeated, the name unfamiliar.

Moxxi nodded, pouring the drink into a glass and sliding it across the counter to a man who creepily leered at her. “Sanctuary’s hero. She helped protect us from Handsome Jack, and even had a part in killing him.”

Sasha swallowed; Rhys wasn’t exactly the most mentally stable when it came to anything related to that psychopath, and for good reason.

“Thanks,” Sasha said, turning towards the door Moxxi had pointed out and hoping her anxiety wasn’t too noticeable.

“Anytime, sweetie,” Moxxi said, although Sasha barely heard her over the volume of the thoughts racing through her brain. She still wasn’t sure who this Lilith character was, but anyone related to Handsome Jack in some capacity, whether for or against him, tended to be bad news.

It took a few pushes before the back door swung open, hinges creaking with disuse. Sasha didn’t see anything other than rocks and dirt as she stepped outside, and wondered if Moxxi had just been messing with her. Then again, what reason did the woman have to lie to her?

“Lilith, I told you before: I’m not interested.”

The unmistakable sound of Rhys’ voice was audible from a distance, and Sasha turned to see him standing across from a red-haired woman near the corner of the building.

Neither seemed to notice Sasha, and she saw no reason to make herself known. Instead, she silently assessed Lilith, her eyes trailing over her thin body and the pistol holstered to her thigh. She wore casual clothes, just tight cargo pants and a faded tank top; clearly, she wasn’t on the wedding guest list. Her minimal clothing also revealed a familiar blue tattoo swirling across her upper chest and down her left arm. Sasha gulped.

Lilith was a siren. A very angry, pissed off siren, if the faint glow of her tattoos was any indication. She stalked closer to Rhys, who took an involuntary step back.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” she said, her voice falsely sweet. “Did you think you had a choice in this?”

Rhys’ fist clenched at his side, as did Sasha’s. She already wanted to slap the bitch across the face, yet she couldn’t do so without revealing that she’d been listening to their conversation to begin with, which she guiltily knew wasn’t exactly a sign of a good, trusting girlfriend.

“As a matter of fact, I do,” Rhys said, eyes narrowed.

“You still owe me,” Lilith said, meeting Rhys’ glare.

Rhys scoffed. “That’s bullshit.”

“Oh really?” Lilith said. “Who taught you how to use your powers? Huh? Who spent all that time training your bratty ass when no one else would?”

Sasha froze as another realization hit her: Lilith knew that Rhys was a siren too. She didn’t know much about the species, but it seemed like sirens could detect the presence of each other. Plus, Lilith and Rhys clearly had history (although Sasha was still unclear about the nature of it).

“You only did that so I would join your stupid gang,” Rhys said, crossing his arms over his chest.

“The Crimson Raiders aren’t a gang,” she growled. “If you hadn’t been so selfish you’d know that.”

“ _I_ was selfish?” Rhys said incredulously. “You tried to keep me prisoner!”

“Because you kept running away,” she replied. “If you’d just stayed and thought about someone other than yourself, maybe we could’ve saved Angel.”

Sasha frowned in confusion. Sure, she’d heard the stories about the death of Handsome Jack’s daughter, the siren he forced to charge a Vault Key. But hadn’t her fate been of her own choosing?

“Quit trying to act all noble,” Rhys rebuffed. “You’re just trying to blame me for what happened to Roland.”

Lilith’s mouth turned into an ugly sneer at the frustratingly familiar name. Sasha definitely knew him from somewhere, and she had an unsubstantiated gut feeling that he was a Vault Hunter.

“Because it’s your fault!” Lilith all but shouted, crowding Rhys against the wall in her anger. “You should’ve been there to protect him!”

“I’m not your servant,” Rhys spat, pushing forward to force Lilith out of his space. “You were there. You could’ve done something.”

“You know I can’t phaselock,” Lilith hissed. “Not like you can, you freak.”

Rhys visibly shuddered at her words, and it was taking serious self-restraint for Sasha not to intervene.

“You have all these powers people would kill for, and you just sit around wasting them. Are you afraid of people knowing what you are? Is that it?”

The way Rhys was biting his lip was answer enough, and Lilith started to laugh.

“You can try to change yourself, try to hide, but you’re the same as you always were.” Lilith’s comment was nauseating, and Sasha felt bile rising in her throat. “What would people say, if they knew the truth about you?”

Her tone was threatening, and Sasha hated the way Rhys scrambled for a response. “No, wait, that’s not--”

“Save it for someone who cares,” Lilith said with a sneer. “Now why don’t you reconsider my offer before I make a certain public service announcement.”

“You know I can’t,” Rhys said, voice trembling. “I have a company to run.”

“And?” Lilith said, placing a hand on her hip. “If you wanted to keep hiding like a coward, you shouldn’t have come here. I fucking own this city; these idiots worship the ground I walk on.”

Sasha felt guilt beginning to bubble in her chest. Was that why Rhys hadn’t wanted to attend the wedding? Dammit, she wished she hadn’t pushed him to come.

“I hear you have a girlfriend,” Lilith said, her expression venomous. “I wonder what she’d think if I told her what you really are. Do you think she’d stick around?”

She took a step closer, Rhys remaining frozen in place. “I wouldn’t want you if I were her. And what about your so-called friends? Hmm? What will they do once they find out you’ve been lying to them this entire time?”

“I can’t-- you know I can’t just…” He choked on his words, his entire body trembling.

“This is the last time I’ll say it,” Lilith said, her anger somehow still growing. “You’re joining the Raiders, or I’m telling everyone the truth. And after everyone leaves you, you’ll be begging for me to let you in. Which I will, because I’m generous like that.”

Her last words, hissed yet still loud enough to be picked up by Sasha’s ears, were the ones that visibly broke Rhys. “You’re pathetic, Rachel-- and you always will be.”

That was it. The last fucking straw. For the first time, Sasha understood the whole “seeing red” thing, because she was positively _seething._ Rhys’ shoulders were shaking, a muffled sob escaping his lips. Nothing about the situation was even remotely okay, and she’d be damned if she let Lilith talk to her boyfriend like that any longer. Verbally berating him, threatening him, fucking deadnaming him-- it ended right here, right now.

Sasha stepped forward from where she’d been leaning in the shadows against the brick wall, approaching the two of them with a fake casualness as if she hadn’t been listening in on their entire conversation.

“Heyyyy,” Sasha said, striding over to Rhys’ side. She slid an arm around his waist, pulling him close to her as she forced herself not to glare at Lilith. “Who’s this, babe?” she asked innocently.

“Lilith,” the woman said before Rhys could even open his mouth. He was trying to subtly wipe away the tears forming in the corner of his eyes, and Sasha squeezed his side in an attempt to comfort him.

“I’m Sasha,” she said, trying to keep her voice even lest she reveal her rage. “How do you know my boyfriend?”

Lilith’s eyes seemed to glint at the revelation, and Sasha sickeningly remembered her threat.

“We’re old acquaintances,” she replied, and even if Sasha hadn’t been eavesdropping, it would’ve been obvious to her that the answer was a hollow attempt to sugarcoat the true nature of their relationship.

“That’s funny,” Sasha said, her tone anything but humorous. “Because I’m pretty sure ‘acquaintances’ don’t threaten each other.”

Rhys stiffened beside her, probably realizing that Sasha had overheard them. Lilith just laughed as she reached the same conclusion.

“She’s got spunk; I like it. But I guess she already knows she’s dating a tranny, huh? That’s too bad. I was looking forward to seeing her dumping you.” Her words were aimed at Rhys, and Sasha saw the hurt clear as day dominating his expression.

She didn’t even think before releasing her arm from around Rhys and decking Lilith in the face. Rhys inhaled a startled breath as Sasha shook her now stinging hand, willing away the pain. Her anger obscured most of it, and she prepared to reel back and hit that bitch again before she felt the pressure of two hands on her shoulders. She whirled around to see Athena standing behind her, whom she hadn’t even heard approach.

She firmly yet gently shifted Sasha so that she was now face to face with Lilith with Sasha positioned behind her. Even all dressed up and fancy, Athena’s glare was bone-chillingly terrifying. Sasha was glad she wasn’t on the receiving end of it.

“What the hell are you doing here?” Athena snapped, taking advantage of her height to loom over Lilith.

The siren scoffed. “I live here.”

“That doesn’t give you permission to harass my wedding guests,” she said lowly, fingers twitching  
over her sheathed Aspis as if she may need to  
summon it at any moment. The murderous look on Lilith’s face made Sasha think that really may end  
up being the case.

“Oh right,” Lilith said, her voice tight. “Forgot you were getting hitched to that dyke today.”

That statement was bullshit, and they all knew it. Athena’s features had morphed into something dark, and she summoned her shield as Lilith’s tattoos began to glow brighter. She turned to look at Sasha and Rhys, who were both staring at the quickly unfolding violence.

“Go back to the party,” she said, taking a defensive stance and returning her gaze to Lilith. “I’ve got  
some unfinished business to take care of.”

It was clear her beef with Lilith went beyond whatever slurs she’d overheard, and Sasha grabbed Rhys’ hand to tug him back inside.

“Come on,” she said, motioning for him to sit down at a booth. He was being abnormally quiet; Lilith’s  
comments must’ve really rattled him.

“I’m gonna get us something to drink,” Sasha announced, heart sinking at the way Rhys nodded robotically as she headed towards the bar.

She ordered Rhys one of those overly sweet fruity drinks she knew he liked, only getting a low-proof beer for herself. Being drunk would be the opposite of helpful in this situation. She thanked Moxxi before returning to the booth, setting the drinks down with a soft “hey.” Rhys looked up at her, his eyes glossed over in the way they often did when he had flashbacks.

“Are you okay?” she asked as she lined up the bottle cap of her drink with the edge of the table in an attempt to pry it off.

Rhys seemed to consider the question for a moment before sighing and dropping his head into his hands. It wasn’t exactly an answer, but it conveyed the message well enough. It was the response Sasha had been expecting, yet it still filled her with guilt as she fumbled with the stubborn bottle cap and made an embarrassing amount of noise.

“Here,” Rhys said, quietly taking the bottle from Sasha and prying it open with a flick of his cybernetic pinky.

“Thanks,” Sasha said, taking the bottle back and swallowing a long swig.

Rhys remained quiet, taking a few slow sips of his drink before he finally spoke. “How much did you hear?”

Sasha lowered her head, ashamed. “A lot.”

Rhys sighed again, running his fingers through his hair. “Great,” he muttered to himself. “Fucking perfect.”

Sasha frowned. “It doesn’t change anything, y’know.”

Rhys looked skeptical at her words, so Sasha continued. “Everything she said was total bullshit, alright? She deserves way worse than the beat down Athena’s giving her for what she said-- what she did to you.”

Rhys gave a small smile, but it was shaky at best.

“We can talk about it, if you want,” Sasha offered despite her frequent difficulties with handling emotions.

Rhys shook his head. “Thanks, but not now.”

Sasha nodded in understanding, reaching across the table to take Rhys flesh hand in her own. “I’m always here, okay?”

She squeezed Rhys’ hand, and he responded in kind. “You’re the best,” he said, and Sasha was glad to see that some of the darkness had dissipated from within his eyes.

“Yeah, you’ve mentioned that,” Sasha said smugly. “Now come on and finish your drink; I think I just saw Zer0 leaving the bar.”

Rhys immediately perked up at the Vault Hunter’s name, knocking back his drink with a speed not meant for such fancy alcohol.

“Jeez, Rhys,” Sasha said, laughing as Rhys rose to his feet, his hand never leaving Sasha’s. “You’re going to scare them off with all your fanboy-ness.”

Rhys blushed, breathing in deeply. “Okay,” he said, turning to face Sasha. “How do I look?”

“Dashing, as always,” Sasha said, having learned early on in their relationship that calling Rhys “handsome” was a bad idea.

“You’re too good to me,” Rhys said, smiling as he led Sasha to the establishment’s front door. The spring was back in his steps, and if paying the Vault Hunter to make a guest appearance every once in awhile always had this effect on Rhys’ mood, Sasha would gladly empty her bank account.

“Are you ready?” Sasha asked, pausing to readjust the top of her dress and Rhys’ tie until they were back up to her standards.

“As I’ll ever be,” Rhys said nervously.

“Alright, let’s do this,” Sasha said, pulling Rhys in for a quick kiss before leading Rhys back out into the courtyard.

She noticed Athena had returned to the table next to Janey, and aside from her slightly disheveled hair and bloody knuckles, she didn’t seem very banged up at all.

“Looks like Lilith won’t be bothering anyone anytime soon,” Sasha said thoughtfully.

Rhys grinned. “Good.”

Sasha led Rhys over to the table where she’d seen Zer0 sitting earlier, thanking her lucky stars that the Vault Hunter hadn’t left to go out on a bandit killing spree or anything.

“Oh my god,” Rhys breathed, stepping closer to the assassin. “Oh my god, oh my god.”

He placed a shaky hand on Zer0’s shoulder to draw their attention, and once the front of their helmet was pointing towards him, Rhys began to fumble for an introduction, much to Sasha’s amusement.

“H-hi, I’m Rhys,” he stammered, his nerves cute (especially since he and Zer0 were already acquainted).

“I remember you. / You’re the one with finger guns. / Quite interesting.”

“Haha, yeah,” Rhys said, awkwardly scratching at the back of his neck and forcing Sasha to attempt to hold back a laugh. “You’re like, really cool and everything. Could you, uh, maybe possibly sign my notebook?”

Sasha watched as he pulled a small diary out of his pants pocket. It was adorable, really. A red heart emoji flashed across Zer0’s helmet as they signed Rhys’ book. Sasha knew Rhys’ heart must be fluttering out of control, and it was really freaking cute. She watched in amusement as Rhys continued to gush over Zer0, the emoticons they displayed only fueling his dangerously high love of talking.

“This is perfect,” Rhys said later as he sat at a table between Zer0 and Sasha.

Sasha nodded in agreement; as much as she loved her sister, it was often much easier to relax when those around her were chilling rather than yelling obnoxiously loudly in her ear.

“Agreed,” Sasha said, trying not to feel too jealous of the way Rhys was basically fawning over Zer0. “Now who wants more drinks?”

All occupants of the table raised their hand, and Sasha mentally picked out those that would be less likely to kill her. “I’ll be back,” she said, pausing to groan as she was halfway out of her seat. “Shit, I can’t believe I missed that chance to make a _Terminator_ reference.”

Rhys snorted. “You know you’re the only one that finds all those movie references funny.”

“No way!” Sasha said, chuckling as she elbowed Rhys. “Now you’d better compliment me before I get all the drinks for myself.”

Rhys looked like he wanted to argue, but then thought better of it. “Fine,” he said. “You’re the best girlfriend ever.”

Sasha felt her cheeks grow hot.

“Is that, like, enough of a compliment for you? Because I could really use another drink.”

Sasha nodded, heading inside to the bar for what felt like the millionth time as Rhys returned to his conversation with Zer0. She realized, as she waited for the drinks to be prepared, that everything about Rhys was adorable. He may have issues with his body, but Sasha loved every inch of it, and reminded him of that often.

She smiled as she carried the drinks back to the table, looking at Rhys fondly. He noticed her and shot her a grin, the expression wonderfully at odds with the frown he’d worn earlier. God, that look did things to Sasha, and her heart began to race out of control. She wished she had a helmet like Zer0 to hide how embarrassingly love-struck she was.

She supposed even a helmet wouldn’t completely disguise her emotions, because if she could flash those holographic words and pictures across her face, she knew that the heart emoji would be constantly popping up.

And she didn’t mind it one bit.

**Author's Note:**

> fuel my nonexistant will to live by leaving me comments and kudos.
> 
> tumblr: [dragonbagel](http://dragonbagel.tumblr.com)
> 
> let it be known that i hate lilith so much and honestly she can choke


End file.
